A heavy pall of grief has descended on Guruve and neighbouring Murehwa following the burial of five victims of a brutal murder spree, as police intensified investigations amid growing fear after two more deaths were reported in Nyakapupu.
The victims
were laid to rest at separate burial sites on Thursday, in funerals marked by
tears, disbelief and haunting silence, as shattered families and neighbours
struggled to come to terms with the loss.
At Ona Farm in
Guruve, mourners gathered to bury 66-year-old Grace Zvitsva and her son,
Tendai. The air was thick with sorrow as relatives wept beside freshly dug
graves, many unable to comprehend how an entire household had been wiped out.
About 30
kilometres away in Chikwidibe, Zvitsva’s daughter, 37-year-old Loice
Chiringaushe and her two-year-old son, Tatenda Chirenje, were buried on the
same day. Their small coffins, lowered into the ground, left mourners in
visible anguish, with many standing in stunned silence.
The fifth
victim, five-year-old Takudzwa Kariva, was laid to rest in Murehwa, bringing to
a close a series of burials that have left communities traumatised and fearful.
Family members
and community residents described the killings as devastating, saying the
violence had destroyed an entire family and left a once-lively homestead empty
and abandoned.
“My granny was
a good woman. This is very sad for our family and we are at a loss. Five people
were killed and we don’t know what to do with this homestead now. It will have
to be shut down. A whole family has been destroyed,” some community members
said.
Mashonaland
Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable
Christopher Magomo, joined mourners and offered condolences, assuring families
that police were working tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“This is a sad
development for our district and our province at large. These killings which
have happened are being investigated by the police and I want to encourage
people not to lose their tempers and give room for the culprits who did this to
be captured,” Minister Magomo said.
Traditional
leader Chief Chipuriro said he had convened a council of elders and consulted
spirit mediums in an attempt to understand the cause of the brutal attacks,
adding that the situation had left the community deeply unsettled.
“When this
happened, I was deeply worried. I summoned the spirit mediums but before we
could do anything, more killings took place. On the day we were supposed to
meet again, more killings took place so we are at a loss on what to do but we
still must meet and find a course of action,” Chief Chipuriro said.
Mashonaland
Central Police Spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe confirmed the deaths were
recorded this Thursday but could not shed more light as police officers are
still attending to the crime scene. zbc
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